Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa hosted the premiere of Te Radar’s new show Kiwi Country, following the release of his bookof the same name.
Te Radar is a returning favourite at the festival and spoke warmly about performing at the Medici Court, calling it “the best entrance onto a stage anywhere”.
The show began with Te Radar’s signature improvised comedy, including calling out latecomers and joking about the tightly packed, sell-out crowd.
This quick-witted banter set the tone perfectly for what followed.
It’s no surprise Te Radar excels at rapid-fire humour, but what makes Kiwi Country impressive is how he manages to cover more than 100 classic rural Kiwi artefacts and anecdotes in just over 60 minutes.
He moved seamlessly from one object to the next, explaining that the structure of the live show differs from the book, as he connected each artefact to the next.
From the Hi-Lux (who knew it was a high-luxury vehicle) to gumboots, No 8 wire and even Muldoon’s taxidermy lamb, which Te Radar is now the proud owner of, the show was packed with nostalgia, sharp observations about the Kiwi mindset, and humour threaded throughout his storytelling.
Kiwi Country was quirky, fast-paced, funny and deeply relatable, and so far, the standout performance of this year’s Hamilton Arts Festival. Photo / Abby Dalgety
The evening ended on a joyful note, with the audience singing along to the iconic Chesdale Cheese jingle, a callback to an earlier joke in the show.
Te Radar clearly has a soft spot for Hamilton.
He was MC for the opening show at the BNZ Theatre and is a former student of Hamilton Boys’ High School.
The festival was very lucky to host the world premiere of what may well be his best show yet.
Kiwi Country was quirky, fast-paced, funny and deeply relatable, and so far, the standout performance of this year’s Hamilton Arts Festival.
Abby Dalgety is a tutor at the School of Media Arts at Wintec in Hamilton. She has been writing reviews for the Waikato Herald since 2023.
